Category: Photos

I woke up last Saturday at stupid o’ clock like a child ready to go on a school tour. What was I excited about? It would be my first trip away with Gorey Cycling Club and the destination was Belfast for the 2nd Gran Fondo Giro d’Italia Northern Ireland. The Gran Fondo was epic, a special cycling experience with fully policed closed roads and as we cycled through the countryside we were met by the locals cheering and waving us on our way. There were 2 routes; the 173km Mourne Route for the more advanced athletes in our club and the less challenging but more enjoyable 58km Strangford Route for those of medium ability such as myself or as we call it The ‘Touring’ Group.

The weekend wasn’t all about cycling; it was a celebration of the training and effort put in over the last few months. Being a member of Gorey Cycling Club isn’t just about training or getting fitter. The benefits are far greater, you get to hang out with an amazing crew and make lifelong friends.

You don’t have to be great to start cycling but you have to start to be great. I cycled my bike for the 1st time on March 18th last year. I got a mile down the road and had to phone the bike shop to find out how to change the gears! Just 15 months on I have completed every challenge I set myself. The first was the Sean Kelly 100 km in Dungarvan last August. At the start of the summer I was cycling 30km and with 12 weeks training I completed the 100km. This year I’ve already participated in 4 sportives and I’ve proudly worn my orange jersey in the Wexford leg of the Cycle against Suicide, it was the reason I began cycling. I never thought I could cycle up to 80km but you can do anything you set your mind to.

On Sunday I travel to Greystones to take part in the Wicklow 100, another opportunity to challenge myself and with every finish line I cross; my confidence in my own ability grows.

Gorey Cycling Club are not looking for super athletes, we are recruiting Ladies to join our touring group and train a few times a week with a goal of participating in the Sean Kelly tour of Dungarvan in August. There are 3 options, the 50km, 100km and 160km. Why not come out on our training sessions and meet the gang, you won’t regret it. The weekly training nights are Wed and Fri meeting in the carpark across from Revolve at 6.30pm. The official Sunday spin meets at the same place at 9.30am.

If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you always got! Take a chance and create a life worth living. Come, join us and enjoy the spin!

A big thank you to everyone who turned out to either race, marshal or just enjoy our final League race. The riders didn’t disappoint, with some great racing right from the start as both leagues were still wide open with several riders in contention for top spot.

The A4 league was tied going into the final round GoreyCC’s Brendan Dunne and Rossbury Racing‘s Jim Wall both knowing that only a win on the night was going to guarantee the title. But South East Road Club‘s Wayne Byrne had other ideas and stayed away from an earlier break for a great solo win, which left a sprint finish battle for 2nd and Brendan just edging out Jim on the line!

The A1/2/3 league title decider was shaping up to be a lively affair with only 3 points separating the top 7 riders and a two man attack right from the start confirmed we were in for some thrilling racing. They were quickly reeled back in however by the high tempo of the chasing bunch. Another 3 man break developed later in the race and managed to open a sizable gap back to the bunch, with Rossbury’s Martin Mizgajski, Slipstream Cycling Club‘s Declan Kinch and Slaney Cycling Club‘s Reece Young battling for the win. A photo finish confirmed it was Matin however who literally “inched” out Reece on the line, with Declan taking 3rd.

A big thank you to our sponsors, without whom there would be no league. To all the marshals over the 5 weeks who kept everyone safe, especially the lead car drivers and moto riders Pat and Gary of Slipstream and Gordon and Shane on the motos. To the clubs and riders for not disappointing and keeping us all well entertained with some great racing. To Derek Webb for all his organisational skills and tireless work behind the scenes. To Chef Nicola Redmond for the post race BBQ and thanks as ever to Sean Rowe for his fantastic pics which you can see more of in the link below.

A fantastic result for GoreyCC’s Brendan Dunne at the Barrow Wheelers GP on Sunday May 22nd. Brendan took second place in the A4 race among a very strong field. Also racing were Joe Christian and Darren Davitt, both finishing comfortably in the bunch. Well done lads!

Congratulations to GoreyCC’s Cathal Glackin on topping the final league table in Slaney Cycling Club‘s A4 league. Cathal took 6th place in Wednesday’s finale adding a further 3pts to his total to cement the win. A great result also for Gorey’s Frank O’Brien on the night, racing in the O’50 category. The group held a consistent time gap back to A4’s all the way to the finish, with Frank eventually taking 2nd place. A special mention also to Gorey’s Susie Carroll Christian on taking the spoils in the ladies category in her first competitive outing. Thanks to all in SlaneyCC and the marshals over the 5 weeks for a well run and exciting league and to Sean Rowe for the great photos.

Congratulations to Paul Kinch of Slipstream and Jim Wall of Rossbury on their wins in Race 3 of GoreyCC’s League. There was a great turnout of riders and spectators and the route proved very popular with the racers, despite a couple of testing kicks. Well done to all who took part and a big thanks to the marshals and drivers for keeping everyone safe.

Click on Sean Rowe’s Facebook photo gallery below for lots of pics from the race.

Thanks to everyone who helped out at our 2nd league race on Thursday night, it was definitely a bit warmer than the previous week! It was a testing, but enjoyable fast course, with 4 ascents of Kilmurray hill to stretch the legs. A split developed early in the A1/2/3 race with Gorey’s Joe Christian among the leading group and Davy Walsh of Velo Revolution eventually took the win in the final sprint. The A4 group stayed together a bit longer, but a 2 man break eventually got some distance into the rest with GoreyCC’s Brendan Dunne winning out to Jim Wall of Rossbury on the final pull up to the finish. Well Done all!

A very strong performance from the GoreyCC lads at the Frank O’Rourke Memorial race in Wexford on Sunday, May 1st in testing conditions. Brendan, coming from his win in the GoreyCC league on Thursday, finished 7th in the A4 race. Darren contested the bunch sprint in the A3 race, 3rd rider of the bunch over the line and finishing 11th over all. Well done lads!

Photos thanks to Sean Rowe. See all his photos from the Frank O’Rourke Memorial here

Saturday saw an extremely tough stage1 at the Gorey 3Day for all riders as they battled some nasty weather right from the start. A very early crash caught out Darren and he did well to get back on and make it to the finish. John was also unlucky to puncture and battled his way back up through the cars to the bunch. The stage was won in Craanford by Robert O’Leary of the Irish Junior team.

Stage2 on Sunday was an extended 5 lap circuit from Gorey – Craanford – Camolin as there was no Time Trial stage this year. It was a reduced field as the previous day’s early crash and tough conditions had taken their toll on several riders, including our own Darren Davitt, leaving John Whyte the sole GoreyCC participant. Michael Devins of Barrow Wheelers prevailed in the sprint to the line, with no major changes at the top of the general classification. Robert O’Leary of the Irish Junior Team still held onto the yellow jersey.

It was set up for a thrilling bunch sprint to round off an exciting final stage of the Gorey 3Day on the run in to Blessington. However Junior Eoghan McLoughlin of Westport Covey, in a late attack off the front, took the spoils with 2″ to the rest of the field. Veteran Andrew O’Hara, who also spent a lot of stage 2 in a solo break, drove a couple of the day’s breaks at a fierce pace. At one point he was GC leader on the road and was a real threat to Ireland Junior Robert O’Leary who wore the yellow jersey all weekend. The Ireland Junior team had to work hard chasing down the breaks all the way to the finish to guarantee their team-mate overall victory.

John Whyte, finished the stage in 17th place 02″ down on the winner and placed 58th in the overall GC. The team want to thank the crew, all the support personnel, race organisers and road marshals who make the 3Day one of the best events on the Irish calendar.

On Good Friday, GoreyCC members Kevin, Gerry and Jason cycled from the GPO in Dublin to the Civic Centre in Gorey to commemorate the epic cycle undertaken by Paul Galligan from Dublin to Enniscorthy in 1916 to say that the rising was to go ahead.

The lads had an early start from Gorey and arrived outside the GPO about 8.30am. After meeting up with fellow cyclist Donal Evoy and a quick photo, it was onto the road for the approx. 94km ride home. It was a very enjoyable cycle in what turned out to be very good conditions for the time of year, despite a light headwind most of the way. They were welcomed at the Civic Centre in Gorey by family, fellow club members, town councillors and photographers about 1pm.